Remote working poses several great benefits and advantages, such as user satisfaction and cost savings for businesses, and we all have heard the threats and challenges posed with BYOD, such as losing control of hardware, usage policies, and malware, but when was the last time we observed an incident that was simply comical?

 We all cannot deny that we enjoy the occasional good, bad, and ridiculous work-related story, but what about remote working? Of course this sets up a solid foundation for horribly funny stories where potentially anything can go wrong. Carol Fishman Cohen bravely stepped in the spotlight to share her amusing happening while remotely working.

“Admittedly, some of these are more amusing in hindsight than they were when they happened, but here goes...” she begins.

Cohen was one day in her upstairs office at home rehearsing a speech when she saw spotted something out of the corner of her eye – a chipmunk. “It was a chipmunk!  In the house!  I saw it again on the first floor, but couldn't get it to run out of the house.” Not only could she not get it out of her house, but she eventually lost track of where it went, thus losing its whereabouts by the time she was ready to call it a night.

The next morning at 5:30 a.m., Cohen was getting ready to leave the house hoping to arrive to the venue early for her presentation, but of course, the tiny rodent was up and ready for the day too, and darted across the front hall. Persistent in her efforts, Cohen set up a complex and intricate trap – if you will – consisting of peanut butter leading all the way out of the front door, aimed at safely luring the tiny critter out of the house.

Keeping very quiet, Cohen watched as the chipmunk ran to the peanut butter, “looked left…and then finally right, where the open door was, and scampered out! I didn’t realize how much stress I had attached to the chipmunk’s presence until I slammed the door behind him.”

Due to this strategic but time-consuming plan, Cohen briefly needed to use Skype that morning. Of course things got even worse, as she was convinced that her looking at a secondary screen and the fact that the screen she was Skyping on was blank with no one on it yet meant that those communicating could not see each other – she was sadly mistaken.

Cohen explains, “I can't even imagine what my work caller could see - my expressions, yawning, who knows?  Fortunately, I don't think I stood up to reveal the lovely pajama pants I was wearing, even though I looked business-like from the waist up!”

Oh, the ridiculousness associated with remote working. It calls to mind this awesomely cheesy yet amazing remote workforce commercial:

Bringing your own device (known as the BYOD trend) does offer remote workers added levels of flexibility and comfort while working, which can lead to a better balance between work and personal life. Others, however, argue that allowing employees to use their personal devices for work purposes is essentially playing with fire. Either way, BYOD will continue to remain a talked-about topic, with surely more tips, cautions, and stories to come.

Do you have any funny tales related to your remote working experience? Share them here!